SOLO ADVENTURESS IN MANILA

Menu

CONVERSE DEBUTS CHUCK TAYLOR ALL STAR II

First, Converse came up with a weatherized printed rubber. Now, it has designed a reflective sneaker with street graphics that grabs the eye.

Made for both function and fashion, the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star II Futura “Skyfall” collection features the original work of Brooklyn-based pioneer graffiti artist – Futura, aka Leonard McGurr.

Over the past four decades, Futura’s art has been displayed, first on the streets of the Big Apple then in the subway before breaking out into galleries worldwide.

In his “Skyfall” design for Converse, he created two optical illusions. In one, the onlooker is viewing an expanse of trees or mountain tops. In the other, it looks as if the sky is falling

Futura’s work is synonymous with ingenuity, originality and the NYC downtown art scene of the seventies.

While most graffiti artists of his period focused on lettering, Futura painted abstract and rhythmic figures, showing his fascination with the nature and acceleration of time.

From “bombing” subway cars with graffiti as they snaked their way through the Big Apple in his teens, Futura graduated to street art and then to the canvas.

Entirely self-taught in what he calls “the subway school”, he has been compared to Kandinsky and Klee for his mastery of color, movement and line.

In the 1980s, Futura (then Futura 2000) found himself part of a wider art movement that included the likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Julian Schnabel.

His style is consummately pure, standing apart for its subtlety, use of white space, and elemental quality.

The artist knows all that is needed – as it was at the beginning – are clouds of primary color, arresting movement, and skillful tricks with a spray can. Up to now, no one can match his impossibly thin aerosol lines.

Collaborating with Futura, Converse combined his iconic abstract art with a weather-ready sneaker collection built for the next generation of self-expression.

Hence, the new collection features all-over reflective body with the original Futura “Skyfall” artwork and Futura branded box packaging and shoe bag.

Available in both hi-top and ox, the Chuck II Futura “Skyfall” inspired sneaker also has varnished midsoles and two-toned reflective laces.